2017 Top 10 Favorite Vegan Dishes in Austin

I tried a lot of amazing vegan food in Austin this year–keep reading to find out what my favorite meals were!

Disclaimer: this isn’t a “Best of” Austin list…these are just 10 of my favorite vegan meals I tried in 2017. I haven’t tried all of the vegan options in Austin, and I have my biases–I eat mostly gluten free, and I love pizza, tacos, burgers, and breakfast/tofu scramble, so I tend to go to places that have those things.

Burgers & Tots from Arlo’s–This probably comes as no surprise to locals–Arlo’s burgers are amazing and just look at those greasy golden tots. When my friend/vegan babe Andy came to visit Austin earlier this year, I took her to Arlo’s because it’s at the top of my must try list. Writing this is making me hungry for Arlo’s…who wants to go?!

2. Breakfast Tacos & Queso from The Vegan Nom–The Vegan Nom has all sorts of vegan tacos, but my faves are the simple #1 and #2 tofu scramble tacos, and of course, queso! I’ve been with quite a few friends, vegan and not, and everyone loves The Vegan Nom!

3. Pizza from Lil Nonna’s— I love Lil Nonna’s pizza so much I wrote a post about it recently–their house made vegan cheese, meats, and crusts are all so delicious! The Meat Out has been one of my faves for awhile now, but I tried the Margherita recently and it’s now a fave too–it’s simple yet so flavorful!

4. El Tipico from Bouldin Creek Cafe— The tofu scramble and potato hash cake from Bouldin Creek Cafe are legendary. I loved Bouldin long before I was vegan, and it’s still one of my favorites restaurants in Austin. If you follow me on Instagram you may have noticed that I posted photos of this dish multiple times this year.

5. The Blacksmith Burger from The Beer Plant–I tried the Beer Plant for the first time for my birthday this year, and I fell in love with the Blacksmith Burger (on a gluten free bun), which comes with caramelized onions, cashew cheddar spread, tomato, mayo, and house-made pickles. I don’t go there often since it’s up north, but I’m going to have to make a trip soon because that burger is calling to me.

6. Sweet Potato Arepas from Bistro Vonish— Y’all, the sweet potato arepas with cream cheese and jalapeno jam from Bistro Vonish are ridiculously good. I like their mac and cheese a lot too. And now that Zucchini Kill is next door, you can go get some delicious vegan and gluten free treats after!

7. Cookie Cake from Zucchini Kill— Cookie cake counts as a meal, right? Having cookie cake on my birthday was a tradition for me as a kid…so I was so excited when Lucas got me a cookie cake from Zucchini Kill (an all vegan & gluten free bakery!) for my birthday. I also ordered a Yoda cookie cake for May the 4th because why not right?

8. Spicy Tempeh Enchiladas from Mother’s Cafe— I love enchiladas, and apparently y’all do too because two of my top 9 photos of 2017 on Instagram were of this enchilada dish! Last time I went I ordered something else, and though it was pretty good, I wished I had gone with the enchiladas because they’re my favorite!

9. Vegan Citizen Scramble from Citizen Eatery— I tried and fell in love with this breakfast dish recently–it’s amazingly cheesy. I love that they have gluten free toast and flapjacks as well. I was debating on whether to feature the scramble or their hatch chile burger, which is also really good, but picked the scramble because #breakfastforever, and also I already had two burgers on the list.

10. Eggplant from Soursop— This is the only dish from a non vegan/vegetarian restaurant on the last, but I have to include because it’s that good. Julien introduced me to this eggplant panang curry dish earlier this month, and it haunts my dreams.

That’s it! I tried a lot of great vegan food in Austin this year, but these were my top 10 favorite dishes. What were some of your favorite vegan dishes of 2017 (in Austin or elsewhere)? Let me know in the comments!